The instant invention relates, generally, to the field of data storage and display, and, more specifically, to the field of portable medical information storage and display.
In emergency medical situations, providing health and personal information rapidly to medical services can be a life or death issue. The patient may be unconscious and not be able to provide information, or, even if conscious, the patient may be incapable of providing necessary information.
A number of portable electronic data storage and retrieval systems have already been proposed to address this need. These include the use of data stored on a smart card or on an optical disk. The smart card stores data in a business-card sized format in solid state memory contained within the card. The optical disk stores data that must be retrieved optically by a scanning laser. Both the smart card and the optical disk require the use of a reader and a computer, otherwise they are useless. An Emergency Medical Technician at the scene of an accident would not be able to gain access to any of the information on a smart card or optical disk. That information could mean the difference between life and death.
Another disadvantage of smart cards and optical disks is the lack of standards. Presently, there are at least sixty different standards of smart cards and many of optical disks. In many instances the reader a hospital has could be incompatible with the patient's smart card or optical disk.
There is another inherent problem with achieving a wide distribution of smart card and optical disk technology. It is difficult to convince a hospital or doctor to buy an expensive reader if nobody already uses smart card or optical disk media. Conversely, it is difficult to convince a consumer to but a smart card or optical disk if they are useless because hospitals and doctors do not have a reader.